Inspiration

By Booker

Chapter 1
My mother gave me the same name as a famous black man of the nineteen hundreds, Booker T. Washington. This story tells how the name has affected my life; as a child, as a teen, and as an adult.
At the age of six, my teacher took me aside and told me that Booker T. was a famous black man who founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. I didnt think much about it at the time but as I grew older more and more people began to comment like my teacher had done.
I asked my mother why she named me after this famous guy. I told her that I would rather have a name that did not draw so much attention, like my two brothers who were named Billy and Ellis. She told me that she thought I would like the name. We never talked about it again.
I was named after my uncle Booker T. Washington, who was named after the famous Booker T. Washington who founded Tuskegee Institute in 1881 and is located in Tuskegee Alabama.
My uncle was invited to, and attended a banquet with Booker T. Washington, in Frankfort, Kentucky when he was nine years old. According to my family, my family is not related to him. Let us not forget that he was one of the most famous black Americans of his time.
My mom told me that she named me Booker, and that will always be your name. I never talked to her about my name again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496910622

Booker

Chapter 1 My mother gave me the same name as a famous black man of the nineteen hundreds, Booker T. Washington. This story tells how the name has affected my life; as a child, as a teen, and as an adult. At the age of six, my teacher took me aside and told me that Booker T. was a famous black man who founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. I didn’t think much about it at the time but as I grew older more and more people began to comment like my teacher had done. I asked my mother why she named me after this famous guy. I told her that I would rather have a name that did not draw so much attention, like my two brothers who were named Billy and Ellis. She told me that she thought I would like the name. We never talked about it again. I was named after my uncle Booker T. Washington, who was named after the famous Booker T. Washington who founded Tuskegee Institute in 1881 and is located in Tuskegee Alabama. My uncle was invited to, and attended a banquet with Booker T. Washington, in Frankfort, Kentucky when he was nine years old. According to my family, my family is not related to him. Let us not forget that he was one of the most famous black Americans of his time. My mom told me that she named me Booker, and that will always be your name. I never talked to her about my name again.

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© 2014 Booker. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 5/27/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1063-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1062-2 (e)

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1   The Same Name

Chapter 2   The Same Name Adult Years

Chapter 3   Family

Chapter 4   Career Change

Chapter 5   Keep Dreaming Your Dream

Chapter 6   Keep Dreaming Your Dream

Chapter 7   Inspirational Poems

Chapter 8   Booker’s Quotes

Chapter 9   Inspirational Stories

Chapter 10   Inspirational Words Of The Bible

Chapter 11   Travel

Chapter 12   I Was There

Chapter 13   Concerts - Woodstock

Chapter 14   The Storm

Chapter 15   Word Of The Day

Chapter 16   First Date

CHAPTER 1

The Same Name

M y mother gave me the same name as a famous black man of the nineteen hundreds, Booker T. Washington. This story tells how the name has affected my life; as a child, as a teen, and as an a dult.

At the age of six, my teacher took me aside and told me that Booker T. was a famous black man who founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. I didn’t think much about it at the time but as I grew older more and more people began to comment like my teacher had done.

I asked my mother why she named me after this famous guy. I told her that I would rather have a name that did not draw so much attention, like my two brothers who were named Billy and Ellis. She told me that she thought I would like the name.

I was named after my uncle Booker T. Washington, who was named after the famous Booker T. Washington who founded Tuskegee Institute in 1881 and is located in Tuskegee Alabama.

My uncle was invited to, and attended a banquet with Booker T. Washington, in Frankfort, Kentucky when he was nine years old. According to my family, my family is not related to him. Let us not forget that he was one of the most famous black Americans of his time.

My mom told me that she named me Booker, and that will always be your name. I never talked to her about my name again.

My Uncle Booker T. was well known in the Frankfort and Georgetown areas. One of my older cousins told me that Uncle Booker healed a man after the doctor told him that his illness was terminal.

Another relative in Richmond, Kentucky, told me that he revealed to her things that would happen in her life in the future, and things happened just as he had predicted.

My mom divorced my dad when I was about seven years old, and my Dad moved to another town. The change in our family status was traumatic for the whole family, especially mom. She had three sons to raise and got little financial help from my Dad.

My brothers and I talked about how we wish that we were old enough to get jobs so we could help our mom pay the bills. This was in the nineteen forties when there were a lot of poor people. Mom prayed a lot, and somehow we managed to survive. I was only seven when my Mom divorced my Dad so I did not understand why. I knew that my parents argued but I could not imagine them not staying together. Life goes on; my brother got a job when he was about twelve years old, then three years later when I became twelve years old I got a job at our corner grocery. Mr. Elliot would pay me fifty cents to wash windows.

My Mother worked for a doctor as a maid. The doctor had two boys that were about the same age as me and Ellis. The doctor’s wife would often give clothes to us that her boys had outgrown or didn’t wear anymore. The clothes were of better quality than Mom could buy for us. We appreciated the clothing. The idea that we could get such nice clothes free is something I have never forgotten.

When I became fifteen I got a work permit and managed to get a part time job working after school and weekends at the local hospital. I washed dishes and was later promoted to stock clerk. I worked at the hospital until I graduated from high school. My boss scheduled my work so I could play football. Bill was working for a tailor by this time, and Ellis had a paper route. We all gave part of our earnings to Mom to help with bills. Mom insisted that we attend church on Sundays.

In junior high school my friends gave me a nickname of B.T. which I liked much better than my whole name. Through high school my teachers would tell the story of Booker T. Washington when they met me for the first time. It always made me uncomfortable. I never liked attention because of my name,

My brother Bill graduated from high school when I was a freshman there. Bill joined the Air Force, and I remember that he sent half of his pay home to Mom.

Ellis was twelve years old by now. Mom helped him buy a new bike; he paid three dollars a week out of earnings from his paper route on the bike. When we were young our mother hugged us when we were good, whipped us when we were bad, and told us never to fight each other.

I worked at the hospital in the dietary department through high school. By now most people referred to me as B.T. I liked the nickname; it was like I had my own identity for the first time, and it felt great.

Upon graduation from high school I joined the Marine Corps with two of my friends; we went through boot camp at Perris Island, South Carolina. Boot camp was tough, but so were we. My drill sergeant appointed me squad leader; I marched at the front of my squad of eighteen guys. I was in good physical condition because I had lifted weights and exercised regularly for two years, but I always thought that my appointment had something to do with my name.

Upon graduation from boot camp I was assigned to a gun crew on a 155 howitzer which was the largest weapon that the Marine Corps had in the 1950s. The howitzer had a range of fifteen miles; each round weighed ninety pounds. There were four to six men in each crew who rotated so that each man got an opportunity to fire the howitzer. We fired at old cars which were fifteen miles away. I was lucky enough to hit the target on my first try. The howitzer was towed by a large truck called a six-bi. The truck was about 28’ long and the weapon was about the same length. In the bed of the truck were bench seats for the crew.

I now had an identity for the first time in my life. I was a United States Marine, the Marine Corps doesn’t care what your name is. They just want you to be tough and dedicated. I learned so much working with the gun crew, like how